Human on the Inside
by Hollysgirl
Summary: Even mutants have human weaknesses, as Scott and Jean discover.Set postX2. SJ
1. A taste of the Orient

A/N Hi there! I decided to fix and finish this story. I hope you enjoy.

Timeline: Set after X2, except that Jean was found alive. This story is a quickly interlude between Alkali Lake and the discovery of the Phoenix.

Please note: I have not seen X3 yet, so characters might be a little dodge.None ofthe characters are not mine – sob – and I have nothing to gain from this except extreme personal satisfaction.

Chapter 1: A taste of the Orient

"Don't forget to study for the French Revolution test next week!" Jean Grey warned her History class before dismissing them for the day. There was a rush for the door as all the students headed out for lunch. Jean sighed and sat down. Things were finally getting back to normal after having to catch up all the work her students had missed while she was recovering from the incident at Alkali. Since then, however, things had been pretty quiet for the X-men. Jean took a deep breath and stood up. She took off her glasses and put them in her pocket as she made her way towards the classroom door. She made her way upstairs to the room she and Scott shared to drop off some assignments that she would have to mark later that night.

Opening the door, she found Scott coming out of the bathroom.

"Hey honey!" she said, going up to him for a hug.

"What's wrong, you look tired?" asked Scott with a concerned frown.

"I am. Things have just been so incredibly hectic lately, I feel like I'm in a tailspin."

"Well, I hate to make things worse, but its Kitty, Rogue and Jubilee's turn to cook

today…" Scott grinned at her. Jean pretended to be afraid.

"I'm sure it will be okay, or at least I HOPE so!" She said.

"Jubilee's actually a pretty good cook, just a little rough around the edges." He pulled Jean towards the door and opened it.

"Besides, " said Jean optimistically, "with Ororo watching them, what could go wrong?" Scott smiled and shrugged, leaning down to kiss her before the two proceeded downstairs to the dining room.

_x_

"Kitty watch out!" yelled Storm as Kitty nearly dropped at plate of Parmesan cheese into a pot of boiling water.

"Sorry!" Kitty said sheepishly. The other two girls giggled and continued working.

Suddenly Logan put his head in the kitchen door. "Storm, can I speak to you for a few minutes?"

"Sure!" Ororo followed him to the door, leaving the girls alone and not noticing the smirk that crossed Logan's face.

"Hey Rogue! Please get that bottle of tomato out of the pantry." Jubilee called over to her friend.

Rogue nodded to her and walked towards the pantry. "One bottle of tomato coming right –AAAAH!" Rogue screamed.

"What? What is it?" Kitty and Jubilee rushed over to see.

"A huge fat spider!"

"Gross!" Squealed Kitty.

Their occupancy with the bug was just what a tall, burly figure clad in black needed to sneak in and pour a sachet of orange powder into the pot boiling on the stove. He barely made it out the door when Storm came in mumbling about being called out for nothing.

"So girls. Are we ready to serve?" she asked cheerily.

"Yup, lets go poison everyone," joked Kitty. She gave the pot on the stove a quick stir then began helping Rogue with the spaghetti.

x

"So, what do you think?" Kitty nudged Storm who was sitting besides her at the table.

"Good. But there is a distinctly Indian flavour about this that I'm not too sure should be there." Ororo smiled

"Indian? It's supposed to be Italian. We didn't add any curry powder?" Kitty frowned.

"It's not too bad, just skip the spicy stuff next time,' Ororo winked at her and continued eating.

Beside Storm, sat Jean and next to her, Scott.

Scott leaned towards Jean to whisper in her ear, "Can you taste something…um…unusual about this pasta?" Jean nodded and started fanning her face with her hand.

Scott looked over at her. Jean's cheeks were flushed. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked.

"I feel kind of dizzy, like I can't breathe properly," Jean said.

Scott put his hand on her forehead. "Hey, you're burning up! Maybe you should go lie down after lunch."

"Maybe. This food is making me feel kind of woozy."

He cast another glance at Jean. Her cheeks had gotten redder, her breathing erratic and heavy. Her eyes were closed and she was swaying dangerously. Scott quickly changed his mind.

"Maybe you should go now! I'm sure the Professor won't mind."

"I think you're right!" Jean said softly. She rose unsteadily from her seat. The eyes of all the students moved to her.

Ororo touched her arm. "Jean? Are you okay?" She asked.

Jean nodded and started walking away from the table. Professor Xavier cast a questioning glance at Scott, but he had no time to explain. They heard a sickening thud.

Everyone spun round to see Jean lying sprawled on the carpet in the doorway. The students immediately huddled into small groups and began whispering.

"Jean!" Scott jumped up from his seat and hurried over to her. Ororo, Logan and the Professor followed suit.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Logan.

"I don't know. She wasn't feeling well so she was going to lie down before afternoon lessons," explained Scott.

"Well, lets get her to the Med Bay and check it out there. She might have just fainted from the heat." Said the Professor.

"I dunno, she said something about the food." Said Scott uncertainly. The Professor looked from Scott to Jean and back again.

"It seemed okay to me. If there was something wrong with it, I'm sure it would have affected all of us." Scott shrugged and turned his attention back to Jean.

He and Logan lifted Jean and carried her out of the room. The Professor followed them.

Storm turned to face the students. "Finish your lunch then keep yourselves busy. And stay out of trouble!" She said.

She called Kitty and the other two 'cooks' over to her.

Kitty gulped. "What's wrong with Dr. Grey?"

"We don't know. They're taking her to the med bay to find out. Before she left the table, she said something to Mr. Summers about the pasta. Did you three pull any tricks?" she said seriously.

Kitty immediately remembered her comment about the poison. "NO! We would never do anything to hurt anyone!" she said.

"Yeah. All we did was follow the recipe." Jubilee joined her in their defence.

"Are you accusing us of trying to kill Dr. Grey!" demanded Rogue a little loudly.

Ororo looked around, noticing one too many students watching them.

"No, Rogue, I am not. I'm just trying to get to the bottom of this. Now, lets go somewhere where we can talk without every student hearing us." She went down the corridor to her office.

Meanwhile in the med lab, Scot was frantic as he tried to figure out what was wrong with Jean, but nothing he tried was working. He was fast running out of ideas. Jean lay unconscious before him, she was covered in perspiration, her breathing growing increasingly weak as her temperature soared, and all he could do was watch.

"Perhaps it's an after effect of that whole episode at the lake," suggested Logan.

"But Jean's over that. She recovered fully." Said Scott. They looked at the Professor. His concern for Jean showed on his face, but he remained composed.

"Perhaps," he said, "I could probe Jean's mind to find out what is wrong?" Scott nodded and the Professor put his hands on either side of Jean's head and concentrated.

When they were seated inside her office, Storm continued her 'third degree'.

"Ms. Monroe, you were there, you would have seen if we did something?" reasoned Jubilee.

"But, I did go out when Logan called me. What did you do then? I heard screaming."

"Rogue found a spider in the pantry." Storm sat in silence for a few moments while the girls fidgeted nervously.

"So you didn't notice anything strange?

"Well," Kitty said, "There was some funny orange powder in the pasta sauce when I stirred it before we served, but I thought it was just from the tomato."

Storm frowned. "Orange stuff? Orange stuff?" she began pacing. "And the food had that Indian taste…"

"But curry powder is yellow. How would it have gotten there in the first place?" said Rogue, a puzzled expression crossing her face.

Understanding burst across Ororo's face. "That's because it wasn't curry powder, it was turmeric!" Suddenly her triumphant expression faded.

"What? What's wrong Ms. Monroe?" asked Jubilee.

Storm put up a finger to silence her and hurried over to her computer. She opened the personnel search engine and typed in Jean's name. Jean's full profile and history came up, including a photo of her when she first joined the institute.

"Aaw! Ms. Grey was so pretty when she was our age," crooned Kitty as she watched over Ororo's shoulder. Rogue elbowed her.

"What?" she yelled.

Storm ignored them and continued scrolling down. She stopped halfway and leaned closer to the screen.

"Oh my God!"

"What?" All three girls leaned closer to the screen.

Storm didn't say anything; she just jumped up from her chair and sprinted out of the room. The girls watched her go, then looked back at the screen. Flashing in red before them on the screen were the words

FATALLY ALLERGIC TO TUMERIC


	2. Diagnosis?

Chapter 2: Diagnosis?

After what seemed like ages, they had Jean hooked up to every machine in the Med Lab. Ororo had given her a series of antibiotics to counteract any possible reactions.

"I did the best I could. Jean's the best doctor at the institute, she usually handles cases like this, so I hope what I did is right!" Storm had commented to Scott.

It was clear that it was an allergic reaction, a bad one. Still, they had done all they could to bring Jean's soaring temperature down and relax the constricting muscles in her throat. All that remained was to find out why she was still unconscious. Storm had suggested that Jean's severe intolerance may have caused a coma, but Scott denied the possibility, in desperation.

Professor Xavier was sitting next to her bed, watching Jean intently. Scott approached him and pulled up a chair.

"So what now, Professor?" he asked after a few moment's silence.

"I don't know Scott. Allergies go far deeper in mutants that in humans. They link right to the body's chemical balance and even to your powers. You say you can still sense Jean in your mind?" Scott nodded.

"I wonder why she has not said anything to you. You have communicated subconsciously before. When you were trapped in Rogue, she opened the link while she was asleep." The Professor looked puzzled.

"What I find weird is that I can usually sense, to some degree, what she is feeling. But now, its like she's there, but not doing anything. She's numb." Scott said.

"Perhaps Ororo was right. Perhaps it is a coma." Xavier said softly.

"It can't be! It was just an allergy!" said Scott loudly, rising from his seat. "This can't happen to her!" his voice was choked.

"Calm yourself, Scott. Jean wouldn't want you to be so upset. We must remain positive- this is probably just a repercussion of Jean's body's attempt to re-stabilize itself. The only risk is if it has affected Jean's telepathic abilities. The mind can be a confusing place- easy to get lost in." He was silent for a few moments as he let the severity of his words sink in.

"Still, I have an idea."

Scott went silent for a moment, reaching out to brush a stray strand of Jean's strawberry hair away from her face. He composed himself and sat down again.

"What's your idea Professor?"

"I need to get into Jean's mind. To find out what condition she's in. If I can find her, in her mind, then there's a good chance she'll recover fully."

"But why do you have to do that Professor?"

"Truth be told, I 'm worried Scott. I know Jean's mental strength; she should have woken up by now, or at least made some contact to you. I feel the same numbness you feel and it makes me think something is wrong? I hate to say it, but I think something more serious has happed to Jean."

"What though?"

"I don't know, but if I can find her, on some level of consciousness, it will certainly help ease your pain. And mine.."

"So what do you have to do?" asked Scott quietly.

"This."

The professor put his hands on either side of Jean's head and closed his eyes. For a while, he was silent. He frowned.

Scott got up. "What is it Professor?"

Xavier opened his eyes and sighed. "Her mind's completely closed to me. I can't get in."

"So what now?" Scott began to worry.

"Give her a few days to recover physically, then try again."

A/N Short, I know, but I kinda think of it as an interlude.


	3. Surge

Chapter 3: Surge

Scott stayed in the lab, until Ororo threatened to blow him out.

"Go get some rest, Scott," she had said, "It will all be better in the morning."

But how could he simply go rest like it was another plain day? Jean was clinging to life by her fingernails and they expected him to rest? Scott walked silently down the passage to the room him and Jean shared.

He opened the door and allowed it to swing open. For a moment, he stood in the doorway, staring at the dark room before him. It was messy. He had left in such a hurry that morning and had simply thought that they would clean it when they returned. _They_. He and Jean. But now she was lying there, and he was alone. He reached over to switch on the light and stepped into the room.

He looked around. Everything reminded him of Jean. Her scent hung in the air and haunted him. Her stilettos were lying untidily by her cupboard, in the same place she had left them the night before. Scott looked away quickly. He decided that a shower would do him good and gathered up his pyjamas, heading into their bathroom. He turned on the hot water and undressed, slipping under the flow. It soothed his aching muscles and warmed the coldness of the bathroom. But still nothing could ease the pain that was stabbing away at his heart. He turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel off the rail. He looked at it. It was Jean's. They usually used each other's towels, yet somehow, it seemed wrong now. He quickly hung it up and took his own. Once he had pulled on his pyjamas, he began to dry his hair with the towel. He glanced at the mirror over the sink and looked away. Scott suddenly did a double take. He frowned and looked back at the mirror. It was blank, but he could have sworn it was Jean's face that he saw there seconds ago. He sighed and walked out of the bathroom.

Scott pulled back the covers of their bed and climbed in. It felt empty. Cold and empty. He switched off the light and lay in darkness for a few moments. Soon, he found himself lying on Jean's side of the bed. Yet, he still felt desolate. He began to cry silently.

God Jean. Why won't you come back to me? He thought, hoping that she would hear and respond. But nothing happened. Scott felt empty. Empty, alone and cold as he slowly drifted into a restless. Sleep.

Scott was woken the next morning by a furious banging on his bedroom door.

"Comin'!" Scott grunted and stumbled a bit before getting to the door and yanking it open. But there was nobody on the other side. Still half-asleep, Scott slammed the door, mumbled something about the students and got back into bed. He was just falling asleep, when he heard the sound again. He swore and put his pillow over his head. But the knocker persisted. Scott eventually had enough and went to open the door. Once again, there was nobody there.

"That's not funny!" he yelled down the corridor before slamming his door. He went to sit down on his bed.

"Damn students! Can't they give a suffering guy some peace?" he snapped.

Tell me about it! I know they care… but I wish they would stop visiting so I can…get some rest said a familiar voice in Scott's head.

Yeah, pains! Scott thought back. Suddenly he did a double take.

Jean? Is it really you? Scott couldn't believe it.

Yes sweetie… it is! It's… wonderful to talk to you again!

I missed you so much. The Prof said you might not recover. You are going to get better - aren't you? Scott had so many questions to ask.

Yes, I am, but it's going to…take …time Jean's voice grew weak and began to fade.

Jean! What's wrong? Asked Scott frantically.

Nothing …don't' worry! I'm…just…tired., Jean slipped from Scott's mind.

"Dammit!" swore Scott. He jumped out of bed, threw on an old t-shirt that Jean had given him and raced down to the Medic Bay.

Ororo was checking Jean's vitals when he arrived. She looked up and a solemn expression crossed her face. "I'm sorry Scott, there hasn't been any change…"

"Yes! Yes there has! Jean woke me up this morning! She said she's ok!" Scott yelled.

"That's impossible, the Professor tried to get into her mind ten minutes ago but it was still sealed off." Ororo argued.

"That's because she was talking to me!" Scott said with a grin. He sat down beside Jean's bed and gently caressed her face.

"But why would she talk to you, and refuse the Professor?" asked Ororo.

Scott's happiness levels sank a little, "I don't know, but I do know this; Jean is gonna get better. She will come back to us!"

He heard a small knock on the door and turned to see Logan and the three girls. They stepped into the room.

"How is she?" asked Logan, hoping not to upset Scott.

"Great! Getting better with each second that passes!" Scott said brightly.

"Thank Heavens!" The three girls let out relived sighs. They took seats beside Scott and he began to tell them what had happened that morning.

Suddenly, when he was halfway through his story, the heart machine began to beep frantically.

Scott jumped up from his chair and Ororo ran across the room from where she had been flipping through a magazine.

"What's happening?" yelled Scott. Logan and the girls got up quickly and moved away to give Storm some space.

"Her heart rate's falling!" Storm yelled back frantically.

"What? That's impossible!" Scott cried.

Storm said nothing, pushing him into a chair and going to work on Jean. She turned to Logan

"Get the Professor – quick!"

Scott sat staring at Jean disbelievingly. 'She lied to me', he thought, 'she said she was getting better but things have just gotten worse!' His head fell forward into his hands and he shut his eyes.

JEAN! Where are you! Don't do this! Scott thought furiously, praying she could hear him. Still, his mind was empty of her voice. He could sense her presence, as before, and concentrated on it. What was Jean feeling? Scott thought harder, putting all his strength into the strange feeling coming from Jean.

Suddenly, it began to clear. His heart began to rush as Jean's emotions filled his body. Scott's stomach began to turn and his breathing quickened. His body grew hot and his muscles stung. It felt as if a rock had been dropped on his heart; his chest was heavy and thick emotional pain was piercing his heart. It wasn't numbness that Jean was feeling – it was everything but. The emotions raced through Scott like a tidal wave. Anger, Fear, Love, Anticipation, Despair, Heartache.

Jean? his call was strained.

Scott? her voice was pained what are you doing?

Jean! Don't let this happen- you can't die! I need you.

I know love

Then why are you letting this happen to you!

Jean did not reply.

Jean! Don't do this! Don't shut me out! Scott shouted, both mentally and physically. you've used our link to use my power before, do it now!

Still Jean did not reply, but Scott didn't care. He would not let her die. Slowly, he began to force strength through their link. If she wasn't going to do something, he would.

"Jean! Don't do this! Don't shut me out!" Scott shouted. His voice was filled with pain. Ororo pulled herself away from Jean to look at Scott. Sweat was running down his face and his body was shaking. His face was contorted with concentration. Ororo's eyes rushed frantically from Scott to Jean, whose body, too, had begun to shake.

Panic rose in the woman – who did she go to? What could she actually do? Ororo stood between her friends, frantic and unsure of what to do. At that moment, the Professor entered the room.

Relief rushed through the young woman.

"Professor! I don't know what happened!" she cried. "Jean's heart rate started falling but now all the machines are going crazy. Her whole body is overheating, she's hyperventilating and her heart rate is heading for burnout!" She turned to Scott. "And Scott too – he yelled something. I think he's trying to talk to Jean."

"Calm down, Ororo," the Professor said, touching her hand. "I don't think there is anything that we – or medical science can do. This is between Scott and Jean." Suddenly, the lights in the room began to flash and the medical instruments began to rattle on their trays.

"Professor?" Ororo's voice shook.

it's okay. Keep calm Storm the Professor's voice came in her head.

The rattling and flashing began to build to a crescendo and Ororo frantically cast her eyes and Scott and Jean. Jean had begun to sweat as well and her face scrunched up in pain. A thought swept into Storm's mind and she cast her eyes to the Professor.

"Professor?" he sensed her thought.

"It tried. I can't get into either of their minds."

Suddenly, Jean let loose a piercing scream and the walls began to shake.

"Professor!" Ororo shouted. "We have to get out of here!"

Her eyes darted back to Jean, who was clutching the sides of her head. Suddenly, a deep red wave of energy swept out from Jean. It struck Ororo and she felt her heart begin to race as emotions sped through her. She felt angry, sad, joyful, despairing, ecstatic and hopeless all at once. She fell to her knees beside the Professor's wheelchair, clutching her heart. Mournful tears raced down her cheeks and still joy danced in her heart.

Suddenly, Ororo felt a hand on her shoulder and slowly, the emotions began to fade. She opened her eyes to find absolute stillness. The entire house was quiet except for the slow beating of Jean's heart monitor. She cast her eyes up at the Professor. His eyes were closed and he was breathing heavily, but he looked calm. He opened his eyes and returned her gaze.

Are you okay?

She nodded and slowly got to her feet, looking around. Nothing appeared to be damaged, and Scott remained where he had been. Ororo approached him slowly, putting a tentative hand on his shoulder.

"Scott?"

Suddenly, his head darted up. "Jean?"

His eyes scanned Ororo for a second before darting to the hospital bed.

"Jean!"

Hauling himself to his feet, Scott stumbled over to his wife. His hands clasped hers and he pressed his forehead to hers. "Jean," he said softly.

"Scott," Ororo said gently, "I don't think…"

She stopped. What could she say?

She didn't have to say anything.

"Scott?" a soft voice came.

Scott pulled back to look at Jean. Her eyes were blinking slowly as she tried to clear the confusion from her mind.

"Hey you," she said, reaching up to Scott's face with her free hand.

"Jean! Thank God!" Scott fell on to the bed and pulled Jean into his arms.

Ororo looked on in wonder as the two clutched each other. Jean brought her legs up and Scott covered her whole body protectively, as his hands flowed through her hair.

Ororo looked over to the Professor for guidance. He nodded and she went forward. "Scott? Jean?"

The two paused for a moment, then turned to her. They were both pale, their skin pasty.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

Jean smiled softly. "Yes, we're fine."

"What happened? This whole place was shaking." Ororo asked, placing a hand on Jean's forehead. Her temperature was back to normal.

"I needed some guidance and Scott gave it to me." Jean paused, "I – I got lost. And suddenly a thousand emotions were rushing through me at once. Sometimes they were weak, but other times they took over. All I could do was feel them all at once. Just when I thought they were going to drown me, I heard Scott's voice." She smiled down at Scott, whose head was now resting on the pillow besides hers.

The Professor came forward. "It's good to have you back. You gave us quite a scare there Jean." He said warmly. "If you don't mind, I'd like to do some tests and ask you some questions later?"

Jean yawned widely. "Sure."

The Professor smiled. "Best you get some rest now. It seems you've had a very taxing morning."

He winked and left the room.

Ororo looked to Scott, who was snoring softly. "I should wake him so you can rest," she said to Jean.

"No, please." Jean said, "He's the reason I'm okay. He sent me so much strength: he deserves to sleep. Besides, I want him here with me."

"Okay, sleep well. I'll be here if you need anything." Ororo smiled at her friend, masking the confusion and worry still lingering in her heart. "You sure you're okay?"

"Still a little dizzy, but I'm fine. Thanks. Are you okay?

"I'm fine. I got a wave of those emotions: tough stuff. My heart's still a little shaky."

"Sorry," Jean said sheepishly, "I didn't realise."

"Don't worry. I'm fine – just had my PMS for the month." Ororo winked and went over to the sink to get a glass of water. When she returned, Jean was asleep, wrapped in Scott's protective arms.

She settled down into a nearby chair and glanced at her watch. She would have to teach soon but the thought of leaving the two alone was unsettling. Still, they looked peaceful and content so she forced herself to relax and focus on her magazine.

A/N Insane, I know. I know I should be open to all criticism but please don't flame me – it really sucks! Only one chapter left to finish things off :)

And please, let me know about typos!


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